Remember the Heroes
by MrMeasles
Summary: An alternate timeline. No Salem, no Cinder. The White Fang lead an attack on the kingdom of Vale. Now ten years after the bloody Battle of Beacon, professional huntress Ruby Rose returns to Vale to track down a serial killer who left a message, "Remember the Heroes". But what if the killer is one of her own trusted friends.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

 **I wrote this story over the course of one night while dealing with sleep deprivation. I hadn't slept in twenty four hours and got this weird inspiration to write a story rather than sleep, as I was attempting to fix my sleep cycle. I powered through this and had a lot of fun writing it. Then I got some sleep and read what I made. With a little bit of tinkering, but leaving the story relatively untouched, I think I made it a little more legible. I'm not sure if this story is any good as I was half asleep writing it, so I'll let you guys decide what you think of it.**

 **Edit: Decided since this turned out to be one of my most popular stories to spell check it some more. It didn't seem right leaving some of these errors in here. One typo implied that Yang had two arms, can't have that. Still I'll probably miss some. Such is life.**

 **Also noting it's almost the one year anniversary of this story. Where does the time go?**

* * *

 **Remember the Heroes**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Yesterday's Heroes**

* * *

Seven bodies hung from meat hooks in front of the Vale Police Department's headquarters, roughly eleven o'clock at night. Blood dripped from their wounds and pooled along the steps below. The entire street was blocked off, police were canvasing every square inch of the block. Inside internal affairs was running a witchhunt. Someone brought seven bodies into police headquarters and dangled their corpses from the roof and nobody saw a thing.

Ruby Rose, a huntress of twenty five years of age was staring at the grisly scene. She was thankful that she ate a light supper. Her silver eyes scanned the scene. Her shoulder length black and red hair was blowing in the breeze. This wasn't the first time this happened. The coppery odour was making her eyes water. She took a few steps back. This was not the first time she's ever seen a corpse. It comes with the line of work. She yawned slightly. This was going to be a long night.

"Miss Rose." Duffy, a detective a few years older than her said holding two cups of coffee in his hands. He had dark brown hair and was growing out a nice stubble. Despite the odd hours he's been putting in these last few weeks, he's remarkable well kept. No bags under the eyes or creases in the skin. He looked quite handsome. Ruby would have laughed if it weren't for their current situation. That was a silly thought. "Cream and five sugars was it?"

"That'll do it." She said with a smile. She grabbed her coffee and took a sip. Just what she needed. "What do you got for me?"

"All seven of the victims are members of the Torchwick gang." Duffy said. Ruby shook her head. She should have known Roman Torchwick would have something to do with this. But if those were his men, who was the killer.

"Roman has a lot of enemies, but not many could pull off something like this." Ruby said.

"So are we talking a rogue huntsman?" Duffy asked. "Because to me this screams Semblance."

"I don't know Duffy, but I have a very bad feeling about this." Ruby said. "Any idea what the cause of death was?"

"Until we get the bodies down and on an autopsy table, we can't say for sure." Duffy said. "All I can say is they bled a lot, which means they might have been still alive when he or she hung them from the roof."

"That's a scary thought." Ruby said. She felt a shiver run up her spine. She shook her head. "Anything else?"

With a loud snap, the rope holding one of the bodies gave out. It fell to the ground with a deafening splat. Ruby blocked her face with her coffee cup just in time to block a splash of blood. She passed the now unappetising cup to Duffy and approached the body. The rope was frayed. The killer cut it on purpose and left it there. There was something important about this body. She motioned to Duffy who placed the coffee cups down and passed her a pair of gloves. She put them on and checked the pockets. She found something and pulled it free. Her heart lurched.

It was a photograph, of a person she hadn't seen in a long, long time. Pyrrha Nikos, the invincible girl. Her heart continued to pound as she turned the card over. Three words were emblazoned on the back. Remember the Heroes.

"Anything useful?" Duffy asked.

"Maybe." Ruby said. She stared at the photograph. She hasn't thought about Pyrrha in a long time. "Maybe..."

* * *

Ruby drove her cherry red sportscar through the streets of Vale. She had to pass through the reconstruction zones along the way. She was stopped by the police three times. Road blocks were all over the city and cops were patrolling with increased frequency. The reconstruction zones are the worst part, the damage from the battle were so immense that it's taken almost ten years to rebuild. Memories from a time she'd rather forget.

Ruby arrived at an old apartment building on the other side of vale. The apartment was a dump. He could have gotten himself a better place to live if it weren't for his habits. She headed up the stairs and found herself at room 311. She knocked. No response. She pulled out her personal key and opened it.

The first thing she noticed was the room reeked. It smelt of puke and booze with an undertone of urine. She grimaced. The sad thing was she got used to it after a while. She stepped inside and locked the door behind her. Stepping around discarded bottles now turned tripping hazards, she made her way to the living room. The living room was a mess of old socks, discarded clothing, empty cans, and a ratty couch buried in a hunk of smelly laundry. The news was playing on the monitor. She went to turn it off but she heard a groan of protest.

She nearly jumped in surprise as the mass of old clothes shifted. She approached it and gave it a kick. It gave another groan and lurched. She sighed and began pulling the old socks and ratty jeans off of her old friend's face. Blonde hair and a messy beard were under it. Baggy blue eyes stared up at her without a trace of dignity.

"Hi Jaune." She said. Soft and gentle, almost motherly. She sat down beside the couch and pushed a pile of crushed cans out of the way.

"Hi Ruby." He replied. "How was Vacuo?"

"Hot." Ruby said. "Exciting too, there are some really unique grimm out there."

"That's cool." He said, eyes transfixed on the monitor.

"Sorry I didn't come by sooner." She said. "Work has been busy."

"That's okay." He said.

She stared at it too. Her eyes widened slightly. It was that time of year already.

"The Battle of Beacon, as it has been referred to for nearly ten years now went down as the day things changed in Vale forever. Countless dead, some still missing. Effects of the incident still ripple into our lives today." Veteran reporter Lisa Lavender said. "The reconstruction zones still recovering from that fateful day when the white fang hijacked an atlas airship and bombarded the city. Statues of fallen huntresses and huntsmen, who gave their lives to save citizens during the bombings, are venerated in the courtyards of academies around the world."

Pictures of the deceased popped up on the screen. In the center was Pyrrha Nikos. Next to it was Lie Ren, Coco Adel, Fox Alistair, Yatsuhashi Daichi, and three dozen others. Courtesy of freelance photographer Velvet Scarlatina. Ruby sighed and glanced at Jaune. She could see his eyes watering. He reached under the pile of clothes and pulled out a small bottle of scotch. She grabbed it from him.

"You've had enough." Ruby said.

"One more please." He pleaded. She shook her head. He went back to staring at the screen.

"Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch has yet to comment on whether Beacon Academy has plans for the ten year anniversary of the Battle of Beacon." Lisa continued. "Despite the extensive investigations into what occured during the incident, there is little information on what happened to Professor Ozpin, nor any information on how Adam Taurus and his White Fang terrorists managed to pull off such a daring attack."

"Jaune, you can't keep living like this." Ruby said. "You should come out with me, on a hunt."

"Maybe another time." Jaune said. "I'm not really feeling it."

"Yang got back out there." Ruby said. "She's hunting again."

"How's that going for her?" Jaune asked.

"She's taking it slow, she still has trouble but refuses to use a prosthetic." Ruby said. "I believe in her, she's going to succeed."

"Good for her." Jaune said.

"Have you spoken to Nora?" Ruby asked.

"Have you spoken to Blake?" Jaune asked. Ruby winced. That hurt. She shook her head.

"That was low Jaune." Ruby said.

"I know." Jaune said. "Sorry Ruby."

"It's okay Jaune." Ruby said. "I've got your back vomit boy."

"Maybe I will too, crater face." Jaune replied. "But not today."

"I'll hold you up to that Jaune." Ruby said.

She left the apartment and shut it behind her. She locked it and turned around. The landlady, Miss Urdina, a wrinkly old lady, was staring at her expectantly. Ruby sighed and reached into her wallet. She passed her several hundred lien.

"It's gone up, it's six fifty now." Miss Urdina said.

"What?" Ruby asked. "Come on for a dump like this?"

"Maybe it's seven hundred now?" Miss Urdina said. "Or your maybe your loser friend is on the street."

"Fine." Ruby said, gritting her teeth. "Seven hundred. Take it."

"Pleasure doing business with you." The old lady said. She stuffed the money into her cleavage and walked off. Ruby glanced back at apartment 311 and sighed.

* * *

She parked her car outside her apartment, a beautiful apartment building right on the waterfront. It smelled like fish most of the time but she had grown to love the smell, she can't remember why. It's as if it reminded her of a memory she had long since forgotten. She reached apartment 516 and entered it. It was a spacious and not to mention clean apartment. She collapsed on her bright red leather couch and turned on the electric fireplace. What a day.

She wasn't sure why she took this job, looking into homicides wasn't why she became a huntress, but the police were desperate for help and nobody was taking it. She's a good person, she though, that's why. That's why she pays Jaune's rent and takes any job she can to support two apartments. Actually, maybe that was why. She's tired of doing it. Jaune has nobody. She has half a mind to call Nora to drag him out of that prison he's built himself, but she knew Nora wouldn't bother. She gave up a long time ago.

She rested for an hour listening to that annoying clock Weiss gave her, and then climbed up and headed for her terminal. She turned it on. She had photographs from the crime scene on her computer courtesy of Duffy. She stared at the grisly murders. All of whom were faunus. She perked up. Faunus, they were all faunus. But the seven dead men were Torchwick's men. Torchwick doesn't work with faunus. She needed to talk to Duffy.

Her terminal flashed and she nearly toppled over in her chair. She took a deep breath and laughed then checked what it was. An incoming message, from Weiss Schnee. Long range communication usually needs to be done at the CCT but Weiss managed to pull some strings. She smiled. She pressed accept.

Weiss' face popped up on screen. She looked a lot like her sister Winter now. White hair tied in a bun with a pair of sapphire socketed hair sticks. They complimented her light blue eyes. Even her scar was less pronounced. Though the bags under her eyes were telling.

"Hey Weiss." Ruby said. "How's work?"

"Tiring, turns out running a multinational dust company that nobody likes isn't actually fun." She said.

"Who'd have thought?" Ruby replied. Weiss yawned.

"I miss our chats Ruby, I miss hunting again." Weiss said.

"We can always go hunting together." Ruby said.

"Please!" She said. She started giggling. "Sorry, but I can't. I wish I could. Responsibilities and all."

"I understand." Ruby said.

"How's Jaune?" Weiss asked.

"About the same." Ruby said. "Maybe seeing you might cheer him up."

"If he's as bad as you described, I doubt it." Weiss said. "You know he always had a thing for me, I doubt he'd want me to see him in such a state."

"Probably not but he needs a good push." Ruby said. "I really want to call Nora but that didn't go so well last time. I haven't heard from Nora in a bit, I'm a little worried."

"Don't be, I've actually hired Nora on an assignment recently." Weiss said. "She's doing all the huntress work I wish I had the time to do myself."

"That's good to hear, how is she?" Ruby asked.

"She's not the same Nora." Weiss said. "But it is enjoyable to work with her again. Even from a strickly professional level."

"That's good." Ruby said. She hesitated to ask. "Any news about Blake?"

"I wish I could say I found her." Weiss said. Her eyes darted away from the screen. "I've spent a fortune on P.I.s. No word yet. It's been ten years Ruby." Her eyes started to flutter. "I think we might need to start facing the facts."

"I can't." Ruby said. She didn't realize her eyes were so watery, they were starting to sting. "Blake is out there."

"Ruby..." Weiss said. She turned away for a moment. "...just a minute. Sorry Ruby, no rest for the Schnee. Back to work I go. We need to chat again. Bye."

"Bye!" Ruby said. Weiss disappeared and her desktop appeared again. She sighed. That damn clock continued to tick.


	2. Chapter 2

**Remember the Heroes**

 **Chapter 2**

 **The Torchwick Connection**

* * *

The police station was crowded as usual. Duffy's office was a desk, a board and a window that gazed out into the rest of the building. Duffy as usual was sitting on his desk staring at the board. Ruby and Duffy had grown accustomed to sitting around brainstorming, with a couple weeks of no success, it proved to be what they do best together.

"So either this is a copycat or our perp is changing his M.O." Duffy said. "Great. I always like it when they do that. Keeps things fresh." The sarcasm was dripping. Ruby shook her head.

"It doesn't matter, we need to find out how to connect these two together. We've confirmed a cause of death right?" Ruby asked.

"Gunshots to the stomachs, sepsis occured. Their deaths were long and painful. I don't know about you but I'd be screaming my head off if I were these guys." Duffy said. He shrugged. "So how did he get them passed Vale's finest?"

"Did the medical examiner confirm they were alive when they were hung up?" Ruby asked.

"Yep, died minutes before being discovered." Duffy said. "Or so the M.E. Estimates."

"You don't trust the medical examiner's report?" Ruby asked.

"Something isn't right about any of this." Duffy said. "Call it a hunch but I think I'm starting to agree with internal affairs."

"What?" Ruby blurted out. She spoke more quietly. "You think some of these cops are on a payroll?"

"How else do you move so many bodies into a crowded police station." Duffy said. "Someone turned a blind eye."

"We could be dealing with multiple killers." Ruby said.

"Maybe multiple dirty cops." Duffy replied. "God, now I feel like a conspiracy theorist."

"Feelings mutual Duff." Ruby said.

"Ever feel like being a cop?" Duffy asked.

"When I was younger, but after last night. It's safe to say I'm going to go back to hunting monsters." Ruby said. Duffy raised an eyebrow. "After this case is done of course."

"Real monsters that exciting?" Duffy asked.

"Half the time I wonder if Grimm are the real monsters." Ruby said.

She glanced out the window to a monitor across the hall, several cops were gathered around. Lisa Lavender again talking about the Battle of Beacon. This time it was Adam Taurus as the topic of choice. Ruby shook her head and turned away.

"You okay?" Duffy asked.

"I don't know." Ruby said. "Forget it."

"I'm all ears partner." Duffy said. "C'mon, tell me a story Miss Rose."

"I told you to call me Ruby, Miss Rose makes me sound like an old crone." Ruby said.

"Never." Duffy said. "It's an old tradition among us lowly cops to always refer to huntresses by their surnames. So we can appease their overinflated egos."

"Is that so?" Ruby asked, grinning. "Really, overinflated ego huh?"

"Only the biggest around Miss Oversized Gardening Tool." Duffy said with a big smile across his face.

"Hey, leave Crescent Rose out of this." Ruby said.

"You named it?" Duffy asked.

"All huntresses name their weapons." Ruby said.

"How very pathological of you." Duffy said. Ruby started giggling. He joined her.

"Thank you Duff." Ruby said. She didn't know how he did that. She somehow felt a lot better.

"Not a problem Miss Rose." Duffy replied.

She turned back to their board. A picture of Roman Torchwick was on the wall. Connected to the seven dead men. However, the thirteen other murders, all faunus, were in the corner. Not connected to anything but each other. The Torchwick connection was important, but she wanted to know what connected the faunus to this case.

"What connects the faunus..." Ruby muttered.

"Broderick upstairs suggested a possible White Fang connection." Duffy suggested. "Broderick isn't the most open minded of cops though."

"Broderick might be right." Ruby said. "These faunus have nothing in common other than they all were murdered the same way."

"Execution style, back of the head. Single gunshot." Duffy stated.

"Exactly. What if they were connected via the White Fang." Ruby asked.

"The ten year anniversary of the Battle of Beacon is coming up." Duffy said. "Tensions are high between us and faunus right now."

"And if someone were to find out who were once members of the White Fang?" Ruby asked.

"Someone might want to pay them a visit, not the friendly kind either." Duffy said. "Miss Rose I do believe you are on to something."

"We might not be dealing with just a serial killer here." Ruby said.

"We might be dealing with a vigilante." Duffy replied.

* * *

Ruby had never been so bored in her life. She and Duffy decided to stake out Torchwick's club, the Candle Club. Torchwick was a thorn in the side of the police department. He was a criminal, everyone knew it. He ran half the crime in this city. He played his cards close to his chest and he did a good job at erasing evidence. Every time the cops closed in to catch him, he found a way to weasel himself out.

Ruby busted him once before, stealing from dust shops. He had hired a group of rent-a-thugs to assist him in robbing a dust shop and then fled the scene when she stopped them. She was fifteen at the time, cornered him on a roof with nowhere left to run. Turns out prison only improved his criminal connections. Now he's the kingpin of crime. Life is funny that way.

"So you think our killer will show up?" Duffy asked.

"He started killing Torchwick's men, he just might." Ruby said. "Plus we might get a look into Torchwick's operation."

"Broderick is running that case, he might not like us nosing around his operation." Duffy said.

"Broderick can learn something from us." Ruby said. "I consider us the winning team of the VPD."

"There is that ego again." Duffy said.

"Shut up." Ruby said playfully. "Eyes up front. We've got movement."

A young woman with chocolate and strawberry hair stepped out of the building. Neopolitan, Ruby recognised her as part of Torchwick's operation. His right hand woman. Police have a few records of her, she's his top enforcer. All the muscle and skill he doesn't have. Last time the police busted her she spent twenty four hours in interrogation without saying a single word.

Several vans pulled up, two dozen thugs came storming out and into the building passed Neopolitan. Ruby and Duffy glanced at each other. Some of the men were carrying crates. The vans moved and more vans came. Whatever was going on, plenty of men and cargo was being loaded into the club.

"Think he's expecting company?" Duffy asked.

"You think?" Ruby asked.

"I wish we had eyes inside." Duffy said.

"Good idea, I'll check it out." Ruby said.

"Miss Rose, I can't follow you in there without a warrant." Duffy said.

"Relax, I'm just going to ask them for the time." Ruby said. "No problem at all."

She stepped out of the car, she heard Duffy mumble something but she couldn't make it out. She approached the building, the thugs nearly jumped out of their skin when she approached. They were spooked alright. The question was, who could spook this many men?

"Hello there." Ruby said. Neopolitan stepped right up to her, she was shorter than Ruby by a few inches. "How about this weather." She pointed to the clouds.

Neo frowned and kept her hand on her umbrella. Ruby had no doubt it concealed some form of gun or blade. Ruby simply smiled.

"I'm here to see your boss." Ruby said. "I can see something has him spooked and I'd like to know what."

Neo shook her head.

"Oh come on, you look like you're preparing for war here." Ruby said. "We're old friends, let me have a chat with him."

Neo paused for a moment. She shook her head.

"What's the hold up?" A voice called out. Roman Torchwick stepped out of his club. Bright orange hair carefully styled over one of his green eyes. He was clean shaven and wearing white suit with a black bowler hat. He looked barely any different from the last time she saw him. Neo sighed and facepalmed. Roman saw Ruby and recoiled. "Red! What a pleasant surprise!"

"Torchwick, still remember me?" Ruby asked.

"You threw me in the hole, of course I remember you." Torchwick said. "Guys, kill her please?"

The thugs reached for their weapons. Ruby threw her arms up. "Hey, let's all be cool here." Ruby said. "I'm just here to talk."

"Fine." Torchwick said. "But I have a busy schedule you know, places to be. Make it quick."

"Someone killed seven of your friends last night." Ruby said. "Why?"

"I'd like to know that myself." Torchwick said. "Also friend is a loose term."

"Alright aquaintances." Ruby said.

"More like annoying gnats." Torchwick replied. He turned to his goons, all of whom were giving him a funny look. "Not you guys, you guys are great. Back to work, chop chop."

"So you're telling me you don't have any idea who'd be out to get you?" Ruby asked.

"Get me? No, people love me. I'm a people person." Torchwick said. "Follow me."

They headed inside. Ruby glanced over her shoulder. Duffy was giving her an annoyed look from his car. Inside the club had red carpets, checkered dance floors and grand stairwells leading to luxurious vip lounges. He lead her to his personal office.

"Alright Red." Torchwick said. "Here's the deal. I've been looking into these murders myself."

"What's your interest in them?" Ruby asked.

"Let's just say I like my neighbourhood corpse free." Torchwick said. "Listen I did some digging into the faunus who were murdered. Ten years back they rolled with the White Fang. Imagine my shock, a respected member of the community finding out my neighbourhood housed White Fang terrorists in hiding."

"So you took matters in your own hands? Is that it?" Ruby asked.

"Gods no!" Torchwick said. He did a dozen mock religious hand movements. "I'm saying I dug too deep. Somebody doesn't want the truth getting out that those innocent animals were actually terrorists."

"Do you have proof to anything you are telling me?" Ruby asked. "Or do I just have to trust a thief."

"A thief, I'm hurt Red. I'm a respectable businessman." Torchwick said. He reached into his desk and tossed her an envelope. Inside were photographs of white fang rallies. Pictures of dozens of faunus, maybe more, all wearing grimm masks.

"This tells me nothing." Ruby said. Going through the pictures. "They are wearing masks."

He tossed a bag at her feet. She opened it. Thirteen grimm masks. "Where did you get these?"

"The victim's apartments." Torchwick said.

"That's evidence you stole." Ruby said. "You are a thief."

"I'm giving it back, call me a humanitarian." Torchwick said. "Get your lab people to psychoanalyze or whatever it is they do for dna and whatever."

"Right." Ruby said. "I'd say it's a pleasure, but..."

She turned towards the door, bag in one hand, envelope in the other. There was a loud bang. She froze. She glanced over her shoulder. Roman was reaching for his cane. Neo was running his way. She tackled him over the desk, gunfire erupted into the room, shattering the glass and shredding through Roman's possessions like a grimm in a teahouse. Ruby dove to the ground, bullets whizzed past her head. She dropped her evidence and pulled out crescent rose. She aimed it in the direction of her attacker and fired a shot. It blew hole in the wall roughly the size of her head. She aimed down her sight. She saw footsteps leading around a corner. She hopped to her feet and ran. She activated her semblance, zooming across the club in a blur of red and rose petals. She reached the corner and waited. Bodies and shattered glass were everywhere.

She heard footsteps upstairs, she looked for a stairwell and found one. She hurried up the stairs. She was stepping over corpses. She ran upstairs and hurried down the hallways as quietly as she could, she struggled to listen for any more clues as to where her attacker went. She heard what sounded like fighting coming a floor above. She was on the top floor. She looked for a way up and eventually found an attic entry, still open. She heard a loud explosion. She hopped up firing crescent rose to boost her up. She turned around and swung her weapon. Metal collided with metal.

Standing before her was a tall man in a white robe, with silver armour worn over top of it. He was strongly built but his entire body was covered by armour or robe, his face was covered in a silver mask of a human face with tears running down from it's eyes. His weapon was a great silver mace.

"You, you're the Martyr?" Ruby asked. She's heard stories of the Martyr, a hunstman who turned up seven or eight years back dressed just like this stranger, carrying a great mace. He was a hunstman with few equals, taking the most dangerous of assignments. Ruby may have been a bit of a fan. "Oh wow, I never thought I'd ever meet you!" She may have been a big fan.

"Ruby Rose." The Martyr said. His voice was distorted. She squealed.

"You know me?" Ruby asked. She then paused. "Wait, how do you know me?"

He hesitated for a little too long. "I've heard of you." He said. He didn't sound very confident.

"Do we know each other?" Ruby asked.

"No we do not." The Martyr said. "But we are clearly working the same job."

"What's a bad ass like you doing working a homicide job?" Ruby asked. She did notice his deflection. She decided they had more pressing issues.

"Given what day is coming, it seemed only fitting to get this unpleasantness resolved." The Martyr said. "Now we need to talk about your attacker."

"I heard fighting, did you encounter him?" Ruby asked.

"He wore a skimask, goggles, dark clothes. He had a lot of firepower. I counted at least four different weapons on him, mostly firearms. He blew a hole in the wall, he must have had a grenade launcher too." The Martyr said. "I barely got a glimpse of what any of these weapons looked like."

"Was it a man? You're sure?" Ruby asked.

"Not with certainty." The Martyr said. Ruby sighed. It would have been nice to have something to describe the attacker.

"So we're looking for either a man or a woman with access to dark clothes and a ski mask." Ruby said. "We're looking for all of vale."

"Do not lose hope Ruby Rose." The Martyr said. "We will find this killer."

"Thanks." Ruby said. She heard a voice calling her name. She turned around. Duffy was climbing up the latter. He had his gun out.

"What happened?" Duffy asked. "I heard gunfire?"

"Don't worry about a thing Duffy, situation under control." Ruby said.

"Who were you talking to?" Duffy asked.

Ruby spun around. The Martyr was nowhere in sight. She glanced around the attic. There was a hole in the wall. Blown open, probably with a grenade launcher. She sighed.

"Nevermind. Torchwick had some evidence for us." Ruby said.

* * *

"Try not to steal anything while you are down there!" Torchwick called out from his office. "I see you eyeing the liquor officer."

"What a prick." Duffy said.

Forensics of the crime scene indicated that the attacker was using dust rounds as there was little evidence left at the scene other than the bullet holes that riddled just about everything in the club. To make things worse, several of the forensic scientists are claiming that the shooter had a lot of rage, based on the performance. The shooter would have had to reload several times, which Ruby did not notice indicating they knew their way around a weapon and were adept at rapid reloads. Ruby was tired and half of this sounded like gibberish to her. She didn't see a pattern in any of it. Fortunately the grimm masks survived the encounter. Forensics were running dna tests to see if they were worn by any of the victims. If so, it proves that they wore them, which in turn could prove they were once members of the white fang. Or they had crummy fashion sense.

Duffy dropped her off at the station and she got into her Cherry sports car. Duffy admired the car for a moment. "Did you name your car too?"

"Of course not, don't be silly." Ruby said. "It's just a car."

"And yet you name your gunscythe?" Duffy asked.

"Hey, don't knock crescent rose." Ruby said.

"Goodnight Miss Rose." Duffy said.

"Goodnight Duff." Ruby replied.

She enjoyed the banter. It reminded her of her team. Weiss, Blake, Yang. She missed them. She thought about them on the way home. Their old misadventures, before the Battle of Beacon ruined everything. It broke Yang and Blake left. It was just Weiss and her. They hunted together for a while, partners. Until she had to leave too. Ruby liked hunting, but hunting alone wasn't the same.

She parked outside her apartment. She reached room 516. The door was open. She reached for her weapon and stepped inside. She closed the door behind her and stood at the ready. She cocked it to be safe.

"Alright, step out where I can see you!" Ruby shouted.

"Jeez, is that any way to treat a guest?" A familiar voice called out. A beautiful blonde, hair tied into a long ponytail, stepped out of her kitchen. Her eyes were a brilliant violet. She was chugging Ruby's milk straight out of the carton, she was also missing her right arm.

"Yang?" Ruby asked. She charged her sister and forced her into a hug. "What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighbourhood, thought I'd stop by." Yang said. Ruby didn't let go. "C'mon sis, I need to breath sometimes."

"Sorry." Ruby said without actually letting go. "I just, really missed you."

"Me too." Yang said. She placed the milk carton down on a counter and patted Ruby on the back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Remember the Heroes**

 **Chapter 3**

 **Yangst**

* * *

"So how was your last hunt?" Ruby asked.

"It didn't go very good." Yang said. "A lot of people got hurt."

"I'm sure you did your best." Ruby said.

"I haven't been my best in a long time." Yang said. She sat down on the couch and slid into it. "Truth is I've been in town for a while now."

"How long?" Ruby asked.

"A couple weeks." Yang said.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ruby asked.

"I've been pretty angry, with myself mostly." Yang said. "If it werent for this..." She pointed to her severed arm. "...maybe I could have made more of a difference."

"Yang, it's been ten years." Ruby said. "Almost."

"So I'm supposed to just get over it?" Yang said. "I'm trying."

"Yang..." Ruby said.

"You were always the true huntress Ruby, I was just the thrill seeker with a temper. Look where that got me." Yang said. "I can't even hate Adam or the White Fang who caused all this because they are probably long dead. Sometimes though, I wish they were here. Someone I can take my frustration out on."

"You're starting to sound like Jaune." Ruby said.

"How is ladykiller?" Yang asked.

"Drunk and laying in his own filth most likely." Ruby said.

"You still paying his rent?" Yang asked.

"Yeah." Ruby said.

"I'll go see him tomorrow." Yang said. "Maybe I can cheer him up."

"Go ahead, nobody has succeeded so far." Ruby said.

"I made Blake go to a dance, I can get Jaune out of an apartment for an afternoon." Yang said. "Trust me, I got this."

"Alright." Ruby said.

"This couch is pretty comfy, mind if I crash here tonight?" Yang asked.

"Go ahead." Ruby said with a smile. "It'll be like old times."

Yang was already snoring. Ruby leaned in front of her. She must have been tired, she went out like a light. Ruby hasn't seen her fall asleep this fast since the old days, after a fight she'd sleep like a baby. Ruby shrugged and went to her room and crawled into her warm bed. She had tomorrow to deal with her killer problem.

* * *

"Forensics got back to me." Duffy said. "The grimm masks contained trace evidence of being worn by our victims."

"So as I said earlier, either we are dealing with retired white fang members or they had crummy fashion sense." Ruby said. "That doesn't get us anywhere."

"I guess not." Duffy said. "There were quite a few bodies at the scene. Whoever it was had to have been very good at what they do. I'm thinking a hunstman."

"Hey, it could just have easily been a cop." Ruby said. "With access to a heavy arsenal."

"True." He lowered his voice. "We might have a corrupt cop or two on our hands, but we have no evidence of that so try not to throw that theory around."

"What theory?" A cop with a thick mustache asked.

"Broderick." Duffy said. "Always a pleasure."

"So you two show up at Torchwick's place and it gets shot to hell." Broderick said. "Now you guys are picking apart a crime scene that should have been mine."

"The shooter was going to be there regardless of whether we were there or not." Ruby said. "The only difference is Torchwick is alive."

"Some difference you made." Broderick said. "You saved the life of a scumbag crimelord."

"Easy Broderick, you almost sound upset that he lived." Duffy said.

Broderick shook his head and walked toward the door. He stopped and turned around.

"Stay away from my suspects." Broderick said. "I'm not interfering in your operations now am I?"

"Sorry Broderick, we'll try not to follow the evidence like actual detectives next time." Duffy said. Ruby laughed. Broderick shook his head and stormed out. "Sorry you had to see that stunning display of professionalism Miss Rose."

"No problem, he's kind of a jerk." Ruby said.

"That's not going to be the last we hear of him, that's for sure." Duffy said. "I think he's mad he got passed on this case."

"I can hardly imagine working with anyone else." Ruby said with a playful smile. Duffy smirked.

"I know, because I'm the best." Duffy said.

"Now who has the inflated ego?" Ruby asked. They both laughed.

"So we're dealing with an angry huntsman..." Duffy began.

"Or huntress." Ruby cut him off.

"Or a huntress." Duffy agreed. "One who hates the white fang, who's been in town a few weeks, who's capable of killing an entire room full of thugs with brutal efficiency."

"That's a lot of people right about now." Ruby said. "Half of beacon's graduates want to get revenge for what the white fang did."

"How many of them are in town?" Duffy asked.

"That I know of." Ruby said. "Myself, Jaune, Velvet, my sister Yang."

"Did any of them lose people during the attack?" Duffy asked.

"I don't like where this is going." Ruby said. "I know them very well."

"Do you have an alibi for any of them during the attack?" Duffy asked.

"Are you implying one of my friends is our killer?" Ruby asked. Her eyes narrowed. "Consider your answer carefully."

Duffy hesitated. Then sighed. "Ruby, we have to consider the possibility."

"It's out of the question." Ruby said.

"Do you have an alibi for any of them?" Duffy asked.

"No." Ruby said.

"Did they lose anyone in the attack." Duffy asked.

"All of them." Ruby said.

"Have any of them shown hostility or anger towards the white fang, faunus, or Torchwick recently?" Duffy asked

 _I can't even hate Adam or the White Fang who caused all this because they are probably long dead. Sometimes though, I wish they were here. Someone I can take my frustration out on._ Ruby thought. Yang said it. No that was just her being her, she thought. Just Yang's anger and frustration getting the better of her. She's hotheaded, not ruthless. Even ten years dealing with a missing arm wouldn't drive her to execute people and hang them from meathooks.

It couldn't possibly be her.

"No." Ruby said. "I haven't seen Velvet, I just know she's been doing photography for VNN the last few weeks. Jaune and Yang hate themselves more than they hate the White Fang."

"Alright, we had to be thorough Ruby, I hope you understand that." Duffy said.

"I understand." Ruby said, colder than usual. He seemed to get it and backed off. He turned back to the board. He stuck a picture of Adam Taurus on the board and connected him to the faunus victims.

"So other than the students at Beacon, and it's faculty, what other hunstmen are in town?" Duffy asked to no one in particular. He was the kind of person who regularly thought out loud.

"The Martyr was at the crime scene." Ruby said.

"The who?" Duffy asked.

"The Martyr, wears a mask?" Ruby asked. "Doesn't ring a bell?"

"Never heard of him." Duffy said. "Wait, he was at the crime scene?"

"He gave me the info that our suspect was wearing dark clothes, had a small arsenal, remember?" Ruby asked.

"You failed to mention that we have another suspect." Duffy said.

"The Martyr? No way. That guy is the real deal." Ruby said. "Does only the dangerous suicide missions."

"So what's he doing here?" Duffy asked.

"He said he's trying to stop this before the anniversary." Ruby said. "Like me."

"To me this guy sounds unhinged." Duffy said.

"He's a hero!" Ruby said.

"Would you rather defend the masked man you don't know or your sister right now?" Duffy asked. "Because both are potential suspects."

"Hey!" Ruby said glaring. Duffy raised his hands.

"I said potential." Duffy replied. "No need to get upset."

* * *

A few hours of dead ends and Ruby left the station. They were gaining suspects but none concrete. Duffy said he'd go to Beacon and talk to Glynda Goodwitch tomorrow and try to narrow down the Beacon suspects. Ruby agreed to go with him, to serve as a liaison between the two. As for now, she wanted to go home but decided to check in on Jaune and Yang.

She passed through the reconstruction zones and stopped at the usual police checkpoints. It didn't delay her too much. She just needed to flash her scroll and they'd let her through. Besides, they recognised her at this point.

She arrived at Jaunes apartment building. She knocked on door 311. No response. She opened it with her key and stepped in. She saw two messy manes of blonde on the couch. Jaune and Yang were both lounging in front of the monitor watching the news. Neither even reacted to Ruby entering the room.

"Ahem!" Ruby cleared her throat. They glanced up at her.

"Hey Rubes." Yang said. "Whats up."

"What's going on?" Ruby said. "I thought you guys were going outside today?"

"Right." Yang said. "I got a little preoccupied."

Ruby noticed a hipflask in her hand. She rolled her eyes. Now she has two drunks to deal with. She sighed. They were watching the same thing most people were watching. VNN documentaries on the Battle of Beacon.

"How was work?" Yang asked.

"Lousy, we're going nowhere on this killer." Ruby said.

"That sucks." Yang said. Her eyes still transfixed on the monitor.

"You two can't keep living in the past like this." Ruby said. "It's unhealthy."

"Why not, the present isn't much better." Jaune said. "Why bother."

"What would Pyrrha think if she saw you right now?" Ruby asked.

"Not much, Adam Taurus killed her remember?" Jaune said. "I got front row seats for that."

"Right after he cut my arm off." Yang said. "I remember that."

"Guys help me out here." Ruby said. "I'm just trying to help."

"I don't want your help." Jaune said. "I'm not your damsel to save."

"I'm doing fine on my own Ruby." Yang said. "I don't need help or pity."

"I'm not trying to pity you Yang, I'm trying to help you move on with your life." Ruby said. She was beginning to feel like their mother.

"How am I supposed to do that?" Yang asked. She turned and looked visibly annoyed now. Her typical anger getting in her way. "Tell me how, and don't say move forward. Be straight with me!"

"I don't know." Ruby said. "I've never lost an arm, I can't tell you how to recover from it."

"Exactly." Yang said. "Let me deal with it my way."

"Ditto." Jaune said.

"Pyrrha was my friend to Jaune." Ruby said. "I do know what it's like to lose a friend."

Jaune grabbed a bottle and threw it at his wall. It shattered in a loud crash. "She wasn't just a friend Ruby." Jaune said. "Everyone knew that but me, silly Jaune never picked up on it until it was too late." He tossed another bottle at the wall. It shattered and glass shards littered the floor below.

"Jaune, your landlord's not going to appreciate the racket." Ruby said.

"No! You wanted to talk to me about my problems didn't you? Well these are my problems! I lost everyone! My team! My friends!" He tossed another bottle. "Pyrrha!" He threw another bottle. It exploded and stained whisky across his wall."I watched her die, it was my fault! I have to live with that!" He stood up and glared at Ruby. "You still have your team, you still have your friends."

"I lost Blake." Ruby said. The air became a lot thicker. Jaune was panting. He stopped throwing bottles at least. Ruby felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Does that make you happy Jaune?"

"No." Jaune said. He buried his face in his hands. He started to sob. "I'm sorry. I'm just. I'm just angry."

"Blakes really gone isn't she?" Yang asked. A lot quieter too. She practically whispered it.

"It's been ten years." Ruby said. She sniffled quietly. "It's time I faced the facts." She echoed Weiss's words.

"I'm sorry Ruby." Jaune said. "I'm holding you back. You could have been twice the huntress you are today if you didn't spend every moment trying to drag me out of my house. I get that."

"You're my friend Jaune, as you made it abundantly clear we don't have a lot of those left." Ruby said. "We have to look out for one another."

"How did we end up like this?" Jaune asked.

"I don't know Jaune." Ruby said.

"I'm sorry Ruby." Yang said, she got up and hugged her sister. "I know you're trying to help, just give me time. I'll figure things out."

"Alright sis, I'll hold you to that." Ruby said. "Need a lift?"

"No, I gotta run an errand." Yang said. "Can I crash at your place tonight?"

"Sure." Ruby said. Yang nodded. She stretched and stood up. Ruby didn't want to ask but was now curious. "What kind of errand."

"Oh the usual boring errand. Don't worry about it." Yang said.

"Alright." Ruby said. Yang stepped out the door and slammed it shut behind her. Ruby glanced over at Jaune. "You feeling better?"

"Kind of." Jaune said. "I think I just needed to get that off my chest."

"I'm going to step out, you sure you're good?" Ruby asked.

"I'm fine Ruby." Jaune said. "Thank you for listening."

"Try not to throw anymore bottles." Ruby said. Jaune smiled and nodded. It was the first time she saw him smile in quite some time.

"I'll try not to do that." Jaune said. He let out a weary sigh. He climbed off the couch and began gathering up all the glass shards.

Ruby stepped outside and locked the door behind her. She leaned against it and took a deep breath. Blake was gone. She wasn't coming back. She took another deep breath and fought back the tears. Time to move on Ruby, she thought. Take your own advice. She shook her head and headed downstairs.

She drove home, it was relatively uneventful. She parked outside her apartment and entered room 516. Inside she found the place empty, and quiet. Save for that ticking clock. She collapsed on her couch. She lounged for about an hour. She was tired, it was a stressful day. She just wanted to sleep. Her scroll started to ring.

"Miss Rose." Duffy said.

"What is it now Duff?" Ruby asked.

"There's been another murder." Duffy said.

The clock continued to tick.


	4. Chapter 4

**Remember the Heroes**

 **Chapter 4**

 **Murderer**

* * *

This was even more gruesome than before. The bodies were pulverized. Whether it was the cause of death or not was up to the medical examiner's report. Until then Ruby was assuming bludgeoning to be the cause of death. One of the bodies was practically mush, his head was barely holding together. None of them were recognisable. A picture was stuffed in the mouth of one of the victims. This time it was Lie Ren's photograph. On the back it read the same message as before. Remember the Heroes.

This time however, the bodies were left in a pile outside of the previous crime scene. Roman's club. How did they move the bodies without anyone noticing? Especially bodies this badly mushed. Ruby sighed, this was just getting more complicated and no clear answer was in sight.

"So they changed tactics." Ruby said. She had to resist not puking. She's seen corpses like this before, out in the wild. To think a human did this. She was sick to her stomach.

"Violent, angry, with incredible strength. Know any huntsmen like that?" Duffy asked.

Ruby sent a text to Yang. She needed to be sure she was okay. Not to mention where she was right now. Yang couldn't have done this, she thought. There were no signs of burns on the victims, ember celica tends to leave burns. This couldn't be her.

"Look at this." One of the M.E.s said. "Looks like burn marks."

That doesn't prove anything, she thought. Lot's of huntsmen and huntresses use bludgeoning weapons, lots use burn dust. It's very common. Yang couldn't do this, wouldn't do this. She couldn't tell Duffy, he'd insist they go talk to her about this, officially.

"Well? Any ideas?" Duffy asked.

"Not one." Ruby said. "But they use burn dust clearly."

"Common enough, doesn't help us much." Duffy said. "I'll give our killer credit, they know how to mask their trail."

"Yeah." Ruby said. "They certainly do."

"Don't worry Miss Rose, we'll figure it out." Duffy said.

"I just hope more bodies won't drop before then." Ruby said.

"I found an ear, a faunus ear." A medical examiner called out. "At least one of these bodies were a faunus."

There was a sudden flash and half the cops jumped and drew their weapons. Ruby turned to see a familiar face holding a camera. A bunny faunus with long brown hair tied in a ponytail. She put her hands in the air. Ruby sighed. Velvet started apologising.

"Sorry, I forgot to turn the flash off." Velvet said.

"What are you doing here Velvet?" Ruby asked.

"VNN wanted me to take some photographs of these gruesome crimes." She said. "You're not going to fight me on this, I'm just doing a contract job."

"No, there's no point trying to hide this." Duffy said. "It's going to get out eventually."

"Would you mind me interviewing you and your team?" Velvet asked.

"Yes I would." Duffy said.

"I thought you were just a photographer?" Ruby asked.

"I'm really hoping this case might help me get into real journalism." Velvet said. "Photography is wonderful but I really want to try something more."

"That's wonderful news Velvet." Ruby said.

"So you'll do an interview?" Velvet asked.

"Unfortunately I can't do an interview." Ruby said. "We're still in the middle of an investigation. When we find anything substantial we'll let you know."

"Oh, alright then." Velvet said. She took a few steps back and continued taking photographs.

"I'm proud of you Miss Rose." Duffy said. "You did good."

"That's one of our suspects remember." Ruby said.

"Wait, her?" Duffy asked. "She seems, meek."

Anyone was a better suspect than Yang right about now, Ruby thought. "She lost her whole team during the Battle of Beacon."

"Does she use burn dust, or blunt instruments?" Duffy asked.

"I've never seen her use her weapon." Ruby said. "I have seen her fight with her bare hands."

"Hey you!" Duffy called out to an M.E. "What kind of weapon would you say was used."

"I don't know, I'd need to take it to a lab." The M.E. Said.

"Guess." Duffy said.

"A mace most likely based on damage but the bruising is consistant with a fist. It just seems unlikely someone would have that much force. Let alone dust application." The M.E. Said.

"Could our meek little rabbit punch with this much force?" Duffy asked. Glancing at Velvet, who was still taking photographs.

"I doubt it, she's a huntress but this requires incredible strength, I still back my mace theory." The M.E. Said.

"The Martyr uses a mace." Ruby said.

"So you admit he's a suspect?" Duffy asked.

"I didn't say that." Ruby said. "I just acknowledged he carries a mace."

"Was he a big guy?" Duffy asked.

"Yeah, especially compared to you." Ruby said.

"Thanks." Duffy said. "I needed that affirmation of my size."

"No problem." Ruby replied. "Now can we step away from these corpses?"

"Fair enough, the M.E.s will take care of everything from here." Duffy said.

* * *

Ruby returned to her apartment. Room 516. She found Yang leaning against the wall by her door. She looked tired. Ruby gave her a suspicious glance as she opened the door. She let Yang go first. She wanted a look at Ember Celica. She stared as she passed. There was a bruise on yangs knuckle. A small bit of blood too.

"What's with the bruise?" Ruby asked.

"You noticed?" Yang asked. "Oh, I didn't want to bother you."

"What happened?" Ruby asked.

"Some guy started getting handsy and I punched him." Yang said. "All there is to it."

"How hard did you punch the guy." Ruby asked.

"Not a matter of how hard but where, I got him right in the nose. It was a bleeder too." Yang said. "I'll wash my hands, I won't dirty your furniture."

Ruby wasn't sure what to do. Her suspect list was getting bigger but Yang wasn't making things easy. Everything she was saying, everything she was doing was making herself look like the suspect. It could be Velvet, she thought. It could be the Martyr, or even a police officer, and not a huntress at all. She sat down on the couch. She listened to her sister wash her hand.

"Hey Ruby can you give me a hand?" Yang said. "It's not washing off."

"Sure." Ruby said. She hurried over and grabbed a rag. She helped Yang scrub her hand clean. Yang just gave her a lopsided smile during the whole thing. It must hurt having to rely on others for such simple things. "All done."

"Thanks Rubes." Yang said. She stepped out of the washroom.

Ruby glanced at the rag. It was now stained with someone's blood. She stuffed it into her ammo pouch. She hated herself for it, but it could be evidence. How could she think Yang could have done it, Ruby thought, it wasn't possible. She stepped into the living room. Yang was already asleep on the leather couch. Ruby sighed and went to bed. This job was starting to get to her.

* * *

"Ruby." A voice called out to her, Yang's voice. She opened her eyes.

Her room was pitch black save for a small glow from the window. She saw a silhoutte of Yang standing over her. There was something wrong, her head was tilted and she was twitching. Ruby sat up.

"Yang what's wrong?" Ruby asked.

"How could you let it happen Ruby?" Yang asked.

"What?" Ruby asked.

"Why didn't you stop it?" Yang asked.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked. "What's going on?"

"The murders Ruby, you had a chance, now you lost it." Yang said. She swung faster than Ruby could react. She started hitting and just kept hitting. Ruby screaming in pain and terror.

* * *

Ruby woke up sweating. It was almost morning. The sun would be rising within the hour. She hopped out of her bed and grabbed Crescent Rose. She slowly crept into her living room. Yang was still passed out on the couch. She let out a sigh of relief. She went back into her room and placed Crescent Rose back in it's resting place. She smiled. It was only a dream.

Ruby hopped in the shower. Her heart was still beating in her chest like a sputtering motor. She stepped out and wrapped herself with a towel. She stepped into her bedroom and dressed. She came out and Yang was already in the shower herself.

Breakfast came and the two sat across from each other. Ruby stared at her from across the table.

"Pass the salt?" Yang asked.

Ruby slid it across. She barely touched her food. She watched Yang stab at her sausage with her fork. Ruby shuddered slightly.

"You okay Rubes?" Yang asked.

"Bad dreams." Ruby said.

"About what?" Yang asked.

"The murders." Ruby said.

"Maybe you're working the case a little too hard." Yang said. "Maybe you should take a break."

"I can't." Ruby said. "People could die."

"I'm getting a little worried about you." Yang said. "You're starting to look like me after it happened." She glanced down at her nub. It twitched slightly. "I still have nightmares."

"I'm fine." Ruby said. "I just am making some headway and it's not looking good."

"If you say so, I still think you should take some time off." Yang said. "Maybe we can get Jaune out of the house together and go see a movie or something."

Why does she want me off the case? Ruby thought to herself. She felt her hands balling into fists. This wasn't helping her calm down. This was just one more stress. She couldn't trust her own sister. She stood up.

"I have to go." Ruby said.

"You aren't done your food." Yang said.

"You can have it, I'm not hungry." Ruby replied.

She stepped outside her apartment and closed her eyes. It can't be true, she thought. The idea of her sister being her suspect was horrifying. She had the rag, she'll take it in and have it analysed at the lab. She'll have the truth. One way or another.

* * *

Ruby and Duffy stood in the lab, the forensic scientist was comparing the blood sample she provided to the blood samples of the victims. The tension was palpable. Duffy didn't say anything when she brought the evidence in. Not even an I told you so. Her heart was pounding, her head was spinning. She needed to be proven wrong. That was what she was for, right? She wasn't sure at the moment. She wanted the killer caught. This whole case was beginning to twist her around. She wasn't sure how she felt. She did feel like she was going to hurl.

"Same blood type as one of the victims." The forensic scientist said. Ruby felt like she was about to lurch over. "But, as far as I can tell that's all they have in common." He shook his head.

"So she's not our killer." Duffy said. "Ruby this is good news."

Ruby took a deep breath. She wasn't the killer. So someone was trying to frame her. Because they went to great lengths to make it look like it was her. Despite being told otherwise there was still a chance Yang was responsible to. She just wasn't lying about punching a guy out on the way home. There's that sick feeling again, she thought. She should be happy, she knew that. Her sister was likely not involved. She took another deep breath.

"Are you sure you are okay Ruby?" Duffy asked. "Do you need time off? Go see a movie or something?"

"Are you asking me out Duffy?" Ruby asked.

"Oh you wish." Duffy said. "Just take a day or two, get your head straight."

"I'm fine." Ruby said. "I just want to catch this killer."

They left the morgue and found the hallway full of sprinting cops. One of them stopped in front of them and motioned them to follow. Captain Gorlois was standing in front of the crowd. Ruby and Duffy found their spot in the center and watched.

"We have confirmation that a man matching our description of the killer has been sighted dragging a body into a construction site in the reconstruction zone. We have the place surrounded and are ordered to reinforce their positions. Get to your cars and head down there. We've got him cornered." Captain Gorlois said. "Miss Rose, we would be honored if you assist in taking down this scumbag."

"Of course." Ruby said. She turned to Duffy, he nodded and they headed for the door. The crowd hurried outside, pretty much every cop in the building seemed to be running for his car. Ruby climbed into Duffy's car.

The drive wasn't long, pretty soon they were in the reconstruction zone. A large construction site for an apartment building was completely surrounded by the police. Ruby climbed out of the car and ran into the the building. Duffy struggled to keep pace. She stopped him.

"Wait for backup." Ruby said.

"I should say the same thing to you." Duffy said. "Be careful Miss Rose."

"C'mon Duff, this is what I do." Ruby said.

"I thought you hunt monsters." Duffy said.

"I do." Ruby replied.

She charged into the building with Crescent Rose. No longer did she have to play guessing games, no longer did she have to doubt her friends and family. She'd get her answer. She was smiling brightly. She can stop this before anyone else gets hurt. She slowed her movement and listened, scanning the building with her scope. The building was fairly open, much of the floors weren't in place. She heard a creaking noise.

She continued to walk through the construction site, she could hear sirens outside. Flashing lights illuminated the building. Red, and blue painted her path. She heard a noise. A rattling sound. She headed for it. When she arrived she saw a horrible sight.

Roman Torchwick was dangling from a meat hook. She followed the rope to a crane overhead. She didn't like Roman, but she couldn't just leave him like this. She jumped up and sliced the rope with her scythe. He dropped to the ground. She pulled the meathook out. He gasped and started panicking.

"There!" He shouted. She turned and saw movement above them. She turned and dove forward, using her semblance to propel herself forward. She hit the side of the floor above and pulled herself up. She followed the outline through the darkness. She aimed and fired. He was running across a beam. The shot hit him and he slipped. He fell off the side of the building into the alley below. She dove down after him. She was standing over Martyr. He seemed to be unconscious.

She reached for the mask and removed it. She found a young man a few years older than her, with burnt orange hair and indigo eyes. She recognised the face, from a long time ago. She recoiled slightly. There was no way it was him. She stared in shock.

"Cardin Winchester?" She asked.


	5. Chapter 5

**Remember the Heroes**

 **Chapter 5**

 **The Martyr**

* * *

Police stormed the construction site. EMT arrived to take care of Torchwick. As far as anyone knew, the only people in the site were Roman, Cardin, and Ruby. A killer combination. Ruby shook her head and watched as they dragged Cardin away in cuffs. Ruby grabbed the mask off the ground. She was a fan of the Martyr, she respected him, and he turned out to be Cardin Winchester? She couldn't wrap her mind around it. Cardin Winchester was a bully, a bigot, and a coward. Now he's a renowned huntsman who volunteers to go on the most dangerous of missions, who goes out of his way to "stop" a serial killer. Or was it all an act, and he was the killer like the cops are saying.

Ruby sat in the car while Duffy talked to the captain. She was stunned. She had nothing to say. Cardin Winchester fit the bill ten years ago when she knew him. He hated faunus, he was cruel, he was strong, he carries a mace that uses burn dust. He fits the bill better than Yang did. But there was something else. In the attic of Torchwick's club, she heard him fighting with someone. He sounded so sure of himself there, he seemed like what she had heard of the Martyr, a good person. Cardin Winchester was the Martyr. She still couldn't wrap her head around it.

Duffy climbed into the car. He had a big smile on his face. "We did it Miss Rose." He said. "We caught him."

"We caught the Martyr." Ruby said.

"The Martyr's weapon is a mace, you heard what the medical examiner said. A mace would do the trick." Duffy said. "We've got opportunity, we've got means, all we need is motive and we are set. Interrogation will yield results."

"I don't think he did it." Ruby said. "Sure it fits but our description doesn't match."

"Our description came from him." Duffy said. "He could say anything. Doesn't make it true."

"I want to be the one to interrogate him." Ruby said.

"C'mon Ruby, life is offering us a break on a silver platter, you really want to stare a gift horse in the mouth?" Duffy asked.

"If he might be innocent, we gotta verify." Ruby said. "Even for someone like Cardin Winchester."

"Fine." Duffy said. "The captain won't like it."

"He doesn't want the truth?" Ruby asked.

"Of course he does, he just wants this case to be over. The council is riding him to an early grave on this one." He said.

"Then let's figure out if we got our killer." Ruby said.

* * *

The interrogation room was cold and sterile. A metal table, two chairs, a two way mirror and a lamp dangling from the ceiling. There was nothing warm or inviting in this room, it was simply made to intimidate and leave you feeling uncomfortable. Even Ruby felt the room's effect and she wasn't handcuffed to the table. Cardin was sitting across from her, dressed in all but his mask.

"The Martyr." Ruby said. "Help me wrap my head around this Cardin."

"I'm not here to justify the things I've done." Cardin said.

"Is that a confession?" Ruby asked.

"It's a statement." Cardin said. "I didn't commit the murders."

"Then what were you doing at the construction site?" Ruby asked.

"Chasing the actual murderer." Cardin said. "I found him there."

"And I'm suppose to what? Trust your word? Cardin Winchester?" Ruby asked. "Class A jerk? World class Bigot? Ring any bells?"

"That was a long time ago." Cardin said.

"Ten years almost." Ruby said. "Anniversary of the Battle of Beacon is coming up. Is that why you decided to start killing faunus? Do your part? Get payback?"

"No." Cardin said. He slammed his fists on the table. "I'm trying to save them."

"Why would you?" Ruby asked. "That goes against everything I've known you for."

"That was a long time ago Ruby." Cardin said. "I'm not that person anymore."

"Then give me something to work with." Ruby said. "Who were you chasing?"

"I don't know who it is, they wore a ski mask." Cardin said. He leaned back in his seat. "I'm trying to cooperate."

"You must have learned something." Ruby said. "What turns Cardin the jerk into the Martyr?"

"Same thing that turned you into what you are today." Cardin said. "Same thing that changed all of us. Battle for Beacon, the bloodbath."

"You lost people there?" Ruby asked.

"You didn't even check." Cardin said. "Why wouldn't you, we were a bunch of dumb teenagers. We did stupid things. Truth is I lost everyone during the Battle."

"You lost your team?" Ruby asked.

"My team, my family, my friends. All of them." Cardin said. "We were evacuating an apartment building when the white fang bombed it. I was helping a family get out of the building when it blew up with my team inside. I fought my way through a crowd of grimm to make sure my family survived, only to find my home a burning wreck."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ruby said. She leaned back.

"Are you really?" Cardin asked. "When it happened you never checked the casualty board for my name. You probably haven't thought of me once since I bullied Jaune. I don't need your pity, or your sympathy."

"Then why the Martyr act?" Ruby asked.

"Because I need to forgive myself." He said. "Then I need to find absolution."

"Survivors guilt?" Ruby asked.

"That's what the shrinks said." He shrugged. "Everyone I know is dead and I survived by fluke. It should have been me. I was their leader. I know that now."

"I really am sorry Cardin. I didn't know." Ruby said. "And you are right. I never even thought about you and whether or not you survived."

"Did you lose anyone?" Cardin asked. "Other than Pyrrha and Ren."

"Blake." Ruby said. "Sad thing is we don't know for sure."

"That's rough." He said.

"Remember the Heroes." Ruby said. "That's the message the murderer is leaving us."

"Us? You believe me?" Cardin asked.

"This is too clean, I think I believe you. I have a gut feeling someone is setting you up to take the fall." Ruby said. "If we don't find a way to exonerate you, then the murderer gets away scott free."

"Guess it's too much to wish for another murder." Cardin said. "No, we have to do this right."

"So we need to decipher this message." Ruby said. "Someone is working hard to frame you."

"Because I've been hot on their trail." Cardin said.

"Does anyone know you are the Martyr?" Ruby asked.

"Besides you and this entire police department?" Cardin asked.

"Good point, but is there anyone else?" Ruby asked.

"Two people." Cardin said. "I asked for their forgiveness before I put on the mask."

"Names Cardin." Ruby said.

"Jaune." Cardin said. "Velvet."

"Your old punching bags." Ruby said. "Did either forgive me?"

"Jaune threw a bottle at me, Velvet told me to drop dead." Cardin said. "It's safe to say neither are particularly fond of me."

"So it's either Jaune, Velvet or a cop." Ruby said. She glanced over her shoulder to the mirror. She turned back. "I don't like any of those options."

"There's one other person." Cardin said. "When I was leaving Jaunes' place, I ran into that redhaired girl. His old teammate."

"Nora?" Ruby asked. "She isn't in town."

"Are we sure, I distinctly remember her packing a grenade launcher. She's always been a firepower kind of person, just like at Torchwick's club." Cardin said.

"I know someone who can answer that." Ruby said.

"I'm not going to jail because I was a jerk ten years ago." Cardin said. He tilted his head. "I have faith in you Ruby. You get me out of here and I'll have your back when you take down whoever is behind this."

* * *

So her choice boiled down to Jaune, Nora or Velvet. All of whom she considered friends. She was willing to investigate her own sister when the evidence pointed her way, she might as well carry on with her few surviving friends. She needed to talk to Weiss to confirm whether Nora was a suspect or not. Then it's up to Jaune and Velvet. She's been taking care of Jaune for some time now, she hoped desperately that he wouldn't betray her like this. But Velvet was the one who turned her life around and made something of herself, why would she betray herself for this.

She left Duffy in charge of keeping the interrogation going. So long as they are interrogating Cardin, they wouldn't be trying to prosecute him for a crime he didn't commit. She still didn't know how to feel about this turn of events, she was investigating her own friends to prove the innocence of an old enemy.

She arrived at her house and reached her terminal. She messaged Weiss. Now she just needed to wait for her response. It took a good ten minutes but sure enough the screen flashed. Incoming call from Weiss Schnee. She answered it.

"Ruby." Weiss said. "It's so good to talk to you again. I'm a little swamped right now but I can talk for a bit."

"I need to know something important, where is Nora right now?" Ruby asked.

"I sent her on an assignment to oversee my operations on Vacuo." Weiss said.

"Can you check on her, I need to know she's there." Ruby said. "It's very important."

"I'll call her right now. Please hold." Weiss said. The screen turned into a Schnee Dust Company snowflake symbol. She waited for a few minutes. The screen returned to her face. She looked confused. "I don't understand. What is this all about Ruby?"

"Where is Nora?" Ruby asked.

"I can't get ahold of her." Weiss said. "She left weeks ago, she never arrived."

"This isn't good." Ruby said.

"What's wrong?" Weiss asked.

Ruby explained her situation to Weiss who looked shocked. She shook her head furiously.

"No, absolutely not." Weiss said. "There is no way that's true. Cardin must be lying."

"Then help me out." Ruby said. "Velvet's weapon, I've never seen it before, what does she use?"

"I saw it during the battle." Weiss said. "She can mimic weapons, making hard-light weapon copies. Her camera creates the copies."

Ruby's heart plummeted into her stomach. The murderer carried a small arsenal on her. A fully automatic weapon that wouldn't have to reload. They thought the shooter was highly experienced with rapid reloads when they clearly had access to Coco's minigun. Nora's grenade launcher, either Cardin's mace or Yang's gauntlets for the mush victims. Any old gun for the executions. She's a photographer who's covered got hundreds of photographs of huntsmen and huntresses alive and dead, including their weapons.

But what about Nora? She was missing. Was that related? Was she in trouble? Or was she the true killer? Ruby shuddered at the thought of Nora Valkyrie being a serial killer. Clearly she was being framed. Velvet was behind it all. But why?

"Thank you Weiss." Ruby said.

"Ruby what are you going to do?" Weiss asked.

"Pay Velvet a visit." Ruby said.

Ruby arrived at Velvet's apartment. Roughly around midnight. She got the address from the police. She didn't exactly hide where she lived. It was a nice little apartment. Clearly her photography was paying off. She should have called for backup, but she figured she could take velvet. She knocked on the door. Velvet answered, groggy with a cup of coffee in her hand.

"Ruby it's late, why are you here?" Velvet asked.

"To ask you about the murders." Ruby said.

"I thought I was the one with the questions." Velvet said.

"Do you have an allibi for any of the murders?" Ruby asked.

"Am I a suspect?" Velvet asked.

"Answer the question." Ruby said.

"You saw me at one of the crime scenes." Velvet said.

"After the crime was over." Ruby said. "I have reason to believe you were responsible."

"Do you have a single fact to back that up?" Velvet asked.

"The killer changed weapons and tactics regularly. First executing their victims with a shot to the back of the head." Ruby said. "Then shots to the stomach, then an open attack on Roman Torchwick. Two dozen dead or hospitalized in seconds due to incredible firepower consistent with Coco Adel's minigun. Which I heard was destroyed during the bombings. Later they escaped with a grenade launcher. The bodies you were spotted around were pulverized, either with Cardin Winchester's mace or Ember Celica."

"So how does this tie to me?" Velvet asked.

"Your weapon." Ruby said. "Any weapon can be copied by your camera, you must have built up quite the arsenal since you started your career."

"Are you done?" Velvet asked.

"Just about. To top it all off you framed Cardin for the crime, which works because he used to be a real jerk to faunus and this would come across as something he would have done ten years ago." Ruby said. "You're last encounter with Cardin you told him to drop dead."

"This conversation is over." Velvet said. "I'd like an attorney."

"What I want to know is how you got the bodies into the police headquarters without alerting the authorities, or why you went after Roman Torchwick?" Ruby asked.

"I did no such things Ruby." Velvet said. "I thought you were my friend and you're accusing me of being some sort of monster. I gave up my weapon years ago."

"A likely story." Ruby said. "And who did you give your weapon to?"

"Jaune." Velvet said. "It possessed a picture of Pyrrha's weapon. I gave it to him after she passed."

"What?" Ruby asked.

"He's been the sole possessor of my weapon." Velvet said. "So if you wish to charge me with something, I want a lawyer, otherwise get out of my face and never talk to me ever again. I can't believe I ever respected you Ruby. You're worse than Cardin, at least he'd never accuse his own friends of murder. Especially with little more than conjecture."

She slammed the door in Ruby's face. Ruby backed up. Jaune had the murder weapon this whole time. Remember the Heroes. He's been watching the Battle of Beacon news coverage and documentaries for weeks now. All he's been doing is remembering the heroes of Beacon. She's assumed he's never left his apartment so she never considered it. Now that she thought of it, the photographs. Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren. Team JNPR. If it were Velvet, why not leave pictures of Coco, or Fox, or Yatsuhashi. If it were Cardin why not Dove, Lark, or Russel? She never even considered this, she just assume the pictures were picked at random. She's been looking at this all wrong. She couldn't believe it. Jaune was her killer. That didn't seem possible. Even more unlikely than her own sister being the killer.

Not Jaune...


	6. Chapter 6

**Remember the Heroes**

 **Chapter 6**

 **The Failure**

* * *

Her scroll rang, Duffy. She didn't want to tell him what she found out. She didn't want the police to storm Jaune's house. She needed to talk to him, friend to friend. That was the only way this could go down. She stopped at Jaune's apartment, found door 311 and knocked. No response. She opened it and stepped inside. The same messy apartment greeted her, unfortunately for her, the place was empty. Shen went through every pile, dug through every drawer. No sign of velvet's weapon. Nor any sign of Jaune. The reality of it was beginning to hit her.

Her scroll rang again. Duffy again. She answered it.

"Miss Rose, there has been a development." Duffy said. "Witnesses say they heard screaming coming from a motel by the waterfront. Reports of a figure in black wearing a skimask dragging a body into the motel."

"So our killer struck again?" Ruby said. "Did you release Cardin?"

"We're holding him until confirmation." Duffy said. "We have the motel surrounded, looks like a hostage situation. We're waiting for our negotiator."

"I'll handle it." Ruby said. "I think I know who it is."

"You do?" Duffy asked. "Who?"

"Just let me handle this." Ruby said. She hung up. She heard a knock on the door.

"Where's Jaune?" Yang asked.

"Long story, I'll tell you along the way, I need your help." Ruby said.

"You got it." Yang replied.

They arrived to find the Motel a mess. They couldn't see into the motel room, though snipers were set up anyways. Ruby and Yang approached Captain Gorlois and Duffy. The captain didn't look too happy.

"So I'm being told you are handling our negotiation?" The captain asked. "A lot of risk we're taking here. This could end with the hostage being killed."

"I can handle it." Ruby said. "I know the killer, I can talk him down."

"We've got this." Yang said.

"Who's this?" Captain Gorlois asked. "Another huntress?"

"My sister, we'll handle this Captain Gorlois. You can count on us!" Ruby said.

"I should have just retired." Gorlois mumbled.

* * *

They approached the room. Yang kicked the door down. They found two figures in the room. One tied to a chair, the other standing behind him. Him. Jaune was tied to the chair. Ruby froze. Did she have it all wrong? The figure removed her mask. Orange hair and blue-green eyes. Ruby shook her head.

"Nora. What did you do?" Ruby asked.

"What I had to do." She said.

"But why?" Ruby asked. "What could possibly make you do something like this?"

"Haven't you ever thought about it Ruby?" Nora asked. "How these scumbags got to live? When everyone else..." The words were stuck in her throat. She paused for a moment. "...didn't make it. They did. It's not right Ruby."

"Ren died a hero Nora." Yang said. "He wouldn't want this."

"You don't know that!" Nora said. "He's gone, how can you possibly know that?"

Ruby studied her. Her nervous twitch, her eyes were wide. She looked derranged. She didn't have her weapon out, but she could see Velvet's weapon on her belt. Ruby needed more answers. She wanted to understand.

"How did you get Velvet's weapon?" Ruby asked.

"A few years back I found it cleaning his apartment, I took it." She said. She glanced at Jaune. His eyes were glazed over. "He wasn't using it."

"How did you move the bodies without being caught?" Ruby asked.

"She helped me." She said.

"Who's she?" Ruby asked.

"You wouldn't understand." Nora said. "She found me, she helped me understand. I must do this. I must free this city of it's filth, to honor those who died. To remember the heroes that gave their lives for this city. For Pyrrha..." She paused again. Her eyes were starting to water. "For Ren."

"It sounds to me you are being manipulated." Ruby said. Nora shook her head. "This doesn't honor them. They died defending everyone in this city, scumbag or not."

"Not true, not right, not fair." Nora said. "I don't want to hurt you Ruby, or you Yang. I'll do it if I have to, nothing can stop me. I'm on a quest."

"You need help Nora." Yang said.

"Like you're one to talk." Nora said. "You've spent ten years moping about because your too proud to admit you need help."

"Not anymore." Yang said. "I'm done with that."

"That's true." Nora said. She drew a hardlight copy of the rapier, Myrtenaster. "You are in my way, I clearly have no choice."

Ruby and Yang drew their weapons. Jaune stood up at last.

"No." Jaune said.

"No?" They all asked.

"This isn't happening." Jaune said. "We are not killing each other over this."

"Jaune." Nora said. "I'm doing this for us. For JNPR."

"No you aren't." Jaune said. "You're doing this because you are scared. You're doing this because you let yourself listen to some psycho out there."

"I'm honoring them." Nora said. "You're starting to sound like them."

"What of it." Jaune said. "Are you going to kill me too? How does that honor Pyrrha? How does that honor Ren?" He walked towards her. She backed up, aiming Myrtenaster at him.

"It. It. Get back!" Nora cried out thrusting.

"Jaune!" Ruby shouted. The blade had pierced his chest. His aura didn't even stop it. He continued walking. Blood dripping from the hardlight blade. Nora froze.

"I'm sorry." Nora said. "I'm sorry, I didn't. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

Jaune pulled her into a hug. Nora started sobbing. Blood continued to drip from the wound. The blade vanished. His legs started to buckle. Nora held him up. Yang went took a step forward but Ruby stopped her.

"I'm so sorry." Nora said. "I was. I thought I was. I was doing it for us."

"I know." Jaune said. "I know you were."

"She told me to do it. She told me it was the right thing." Nora said.

"I'm sure she did." Jaune said. "But that doesn't matter. It's over now."

"What do I do Jaune?" Nora asked. "I did things. Horrible things?"

"Do the right thing." Jaune said. "Turn yourself in."

"But." She mumbled. "I'm scared."

"It's okay." Jaune said. "I'll visit you. I'm still your friend, your leader. I'll look out for you..."

He started to slump over. Nora started shaking him.

"Jaune?" Nora asked.

"We need to get him to the EMTs." Yang said. "I can carry him."

"Nora, come with me." Ruby said. "Leave the weapon."

"Okay." Nora said. She placed a wooden box on the floor. "I'm so sorry Ruby."

The police arrested Nora Valkyrie for the murders of twenty four people. When interrogated she confirmed that the faunus were former members of the white fang. Some were still proud members. The Torchwick connection, was the discovery that Torchwick armed the white fang with dust and weaponry during the months before the Battle of Beacon. Torchwick was shortly apprehended. His trial is in a months time.

Nora kept mentioning "her" or "she". She didn't say who she spoke of, but whoever they were, they manipulated her into action. She said that "she" made so much sense at the time, she seemed so righteous. Ruby didn't like the sound of that. There was a loose end. She hated loose ends. Duffy laughed at her, he told her she was beginning to sound like a detective.

Jaune recovered. He claimed she lured him out to convince him to join her crusade. He said he'd honor his bargain with her. He'd look out for her. She deserved it. Jaune decided he needed to make strides to better himself. Nora brought up a good point to him, what was he doing to honor his team. JNPR might be no more, but their memory deserved veneration. Jaune set off to become a hunstman again.

Cardin was released, he took his mask back and told Ruby he was continuing as the Martyr. He wasn't quite ready yet. He thanked her for helping her. Ruby never liked Cardin, but it was strange now she might even consider him a friend after this. She never thought she'd see the day.

Yang offered to continue hunting and asked Ruby if she'd like to hunt together again, just like old times. Yang acknowledged she needed help sometimes, but was always nervous asking for help from her little sister. She always thought it needed to be the other way around. Ruby gladly accepted her offer. She missed hunting with her friends.

Duffy and Ruby parted on good terms. He was a good friend. She promised to help him out from time to time, or as she put it, to do his job for him again sometime soon. He laughed it off.

Beacon Academy had a ceremony for the fallen. Weiss showed up for it. They stood under the statue of Pyrrha. James Ironwood gave a speech, he was booed by the crowd. But the few huntsmen and huntresses who fought in the battle saluted him. He fought and bled alongside them during the battle, no matter what the people said about him, he was a hunstman.

Weiss gathered them together. The remnants of team RWBY. She held out her scroll.

"There is something you guys should know. This came in this morning." Weiss said. Her voice shaking. "I think you need to see it."

Sun's face appeared on the screen. His eyes were watery and he looked like he was trying very hard to keep a straight face. Ruby already had a bad feeling about this. He tried to smile, but it quivered and broke.

"Hey guys, all of you. If you get this there is something you should know." Sun said. "I found Blake. It's over now."

He started walking. He turned the camera around. He was in some sort of tunnel. Before him was the body of Adam Taurus, still preserved despite the years. Gambol Shroud was through his chest. Sun kicked his body for good measure. He continued walking, following a trail of blood. A lot of blood. Ruby felt here eyes watering. Sun turned the corner. Resting against the wall, still as beautiful and young as she was ten years ago, preserved in time. Blake Belladonna. Their old friend. Clutching her stomach. In her hand was a photograph. Sun picked it up. It was a picture from the dance. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang, Sun, Neptune, Pyrrha, Jaune in a dress, Ren, Nora. All gathered around a table. Ozpin took the picture for them. A better time, a better day. Her last moments were spent with her friends after all.

Ruby didn't realize she was crying. Tears were just running like rivers down her face. Sun caught himself, but looked like he was going to cry at any moment. Yang buried her face in her hand.

"I'm sorry." Sun said. "It couldn't have been better news. But now we know."

After the festival, Weiss spoke with Glynda Goodwitch and arranged for a new statue to be built. One for the unspoken hero of the Battle of Beacon, the one that took the extra step. The one that put an end to Adam Taurus's threat. Blake Belladonna. Within the month the statue was placed next to Pyrrha and the others.

Ruby returned to her apartment and sat down. Nora wasn't working alone. Someone pushed her. Someone made her snap. That someone was still out there. It was only a matter of time before the struck again, sent another miserable, misguided huntress into distress. Into violent action. Ruby needed to figure things out, she needed to find the truth.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **I think I got most of the typos along the way, I probably missed a few and spellcheck certainly missed a dozen. I know certain scenes are still rough, or janky but I preferred to keep the story as written rather than rewrite areas because people really liked this one and I didn't want to ruin anything. If you are rereading the story, welcome back. If you never read it before, thank you for giving it the time of day. Given the circumstances of which this story was written I'm still amazed that anyone bothered to read it, let alone liked it. To me this is either lightning in a bottle never to be caught again, or a testament that I might be a better writer than even I think. Probably the former or a mixture of both.**

 **I still think about the possibility of working on a sequel, but like I said about the lightning and the bottle, it's probably not the best idea for me to try to improve upon what worked. Let me know in the reviews if you think you are up for a sequel to this little story or if you like it better as a one shot.**

 **Anyways, that should be it. Thanks for reading.**


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